More Rangers

That’s exactly what the Rangers did the first half of the season: SURVIVE.

After a slew of injuries to the starting rotation, the team finished 52-34, the second best record in the majors. They have a four game lead over the second place Angels. We should be REALLY excited right?!

But we as fans are just happy to see the first half done. Why? Because the team at times was down right bad!

The team that had murders row for a lineup has struggled to score runs. Only one team scored fewer runs in June. And July isn’t that much better. The teams batting average is .237 and they have scored only 17 runs, fewest in the majors. At the beginning of June Josh Hamilton was hitting above .380. Now he is hitting .308. He has had over a month of a slump and cant seem to get a GRIP on his swing.

The injuries to the rotation are horrendous, with only Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison not to spend time on the DL. The savior Roy Oswalt has been anything but. With a 2-1 record, Oswalt’s ERA is well over 7 and he has been laboring, something not good for a 36 year old.

So hopefully the second half will be more kind and the team can get back on track. Winning in more convincing fashion, without the worry, that they are barely hanging on.

Here are some first half awards….

BIGGEST BADASS….Matt Harrison 11-4 with a 3.10 ERA. Cant get much better than that. He has been the surprise leader of the rotation and has been key as a stopper. The lefty is doing something better too…eating up innings leading the team with 113 pitched so far.

BIGGEST WTF??!! Mike Napoli…what the hell happened to this guy. One of the biggest offensive reasons we advanced last year in the playoffs, has fallen BIG TIME. .228 with 12 homeruns and 30 RBIs is NOT GOOD. I cant tell you how many times with the game on the line he hasn’t come through. Something he did with frequency last year.

BIGGEST WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY??!!…Robbie Ross 6-0 .95 ERA! HELL YES. This guy has been the MAN out of the bullpen and many times has saved up from a loss. At times the guy they called up from AA ball at the beginning of the year has looked like he will wind up with more wins than some starters! He is our Rookie of the YEAR.

BIGGEST WHY IS HE STILL ON THE TEAM??!!…Scott Feldman 3-6 5.89 ERA…How many chances are we going to give this guy? Has he ever gotten any better. Have any of his starts been worthy of another? Just because a guy has an arm that can throw 6 innings…does that mean they should? ANSWER: NO!!!